Naturally, as consumers, we would much rather be able to touch and see first-hand the products we are buying before we buy them - just to make sure they're really the products we want for our project.  With online commerce, and especially online commerce with architectural products, a consumer does not always have the ability to see the actual product before it is bought.  For this reason, alone, it is paramount for manufacturers to display and describe their products in the most accurate manner as possible.  This entails showcasing detailed product images as well as descriptive text about the product, rather than just fluffy, "take our word for it" adjectives.  Customers are often times relying on the manufacturer to help them distinguish their products from those of the competition.


  Our advice to consumers:    Whether you are looking at Brockwell products or another company's products, truly examine the product's level of detail.  Call in and speak to a consultant.  Ask questions.  Compare and contrast.  Sure, every company would love for their products to be the go to source for projects, but when companies think like that . . . can it be that they have the best interest of the client's project in mind as well?


Words and phrases such as, "High-Quality" and "the best" or "the industry's largest selection" and "the industry's leader" are 100% subjectively being utilized to sell a product.  So, if many companies proclaim to have the industry's largest product selection and is the leader, then who has the industry's largest product selection and is leading?

  The bottom line:    Customers are the ones who determine what Quality is . . . and is not.

But herein lies the quagmire for architectural product manufacturers.  When was the last time anyone has seen a manufacturer's product description say something such as, "Our products display average detailing and craftsmanship that is pretty decent.  We aim to create products that may or may not work for your project." ?


With that said, we also believe that the consumer should be proactive in their search for architectural or decorative products that must meet a specific quality level.  This can be accomplished by critically examining the products and asking important product questions. When the buyer approaches a purchase in this manner, they are essentially asking the company to tell them what distinguishes their products from other companies' products.


And, yes - many products in this industry are high-quality, so we are not encouraging customers to think of it as a forbidden fruit - if the products are, in fact, of high quality and they work for the project.  Instead, we are suggesting for consumers to critically question companies that use an abundance of dull, cliche industry language to describe their products.  This just shows that there's nothing really special that can describe them.